Implementing system-wide power quality monitoring plans

Monitoring the performance of AC power delivery systems is increasingly important for electric utilities as deregulation and competition become a reality. Customers are expecting higher levels of power quality to assure proper operation of sensitive equipment and processes. Coordination between utility and customer is required to assure compatibility between end use equipment requirements and power supply characteristics. Monitoring of the system performance is becoming an increasingly important part of assuring this compatibility. This paper describes the concepts of designing power quality monitoring systems including instrumentation selection and deployment, and data collection, management and analysis.